Tamron Vs Nikkor

[Poider]

G'day, just thought I would ask those of you that are experienced with these things is there a great difference between the
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
and the
Tamron AF18-270MM F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD
Quality wise, does the difeerence in price typify the difference in quality, I realize the Tamron Lens has a larger focal rangeshould I stick with Nikkor lenses or Does Tamron stand proud with quality?
Peter

[kirbinster]

Why do you want either? You already have the entire focal range covered with your two lenses which are as fast if not faster than what you are considering. I would be fairly certain athan your 55-300 will be much sharper at 200mm than the 18-200 at 200mm.

[Poider]

I guess I am still worried about the changing of the lenses each time I want to get a wider shot whilst on Holidays, most times I would'nt worry too much but seeing as most of my overseas holidays will be coach tours then I am not sure of the available time during stops and how well I can cope with the changing and the wory of getting dust in lenses and on the sensor.
An all round lens would be much more convenient, I guess also I don't have a lot of confidence in the kit lenses as many people are a little down on them.

Thank you for your advice I will have to talk myself into the fact that I have a more convenient bag now and will get lots of practice at quick lens changes before I go.
Peter

[kirbinster]

I understand, and went through the same process. You can see I have a lens or two from my sig

The point I was making, while some don't like kit lenses, they are actually fairly good. I know that my old 55-200VR was sharper at 200mm than my 18-200VR lens.

I think if you go for a super zoom you should get the Nikon one, they are sharper. I love my Nikon 28-300 VR on my D700.

If you really want a super zoom I have a Tamron 28-300 VC I am looking to sell. It is a good lens, but I just like the Nikon better.

[Photologyst]

I too hate carrying a lot of gear and changing lenses. I have the 18-200 and use it as my “walk about” lens, especially on trips. It is great!

I know professional photographers whose speciality is travel and food photography who swear by the Tamron. They often carry two cameras with lenses mounted. I would suggest trying out both and comparing apples to apples.

I am eying the Nikon 28-300 VR, but according to reviews that I have read, it has a lot of distortion—which can be fixed with PS processing. Low light is also an issue.

[kirbinster]

I am very surprised to hear that anyone likes Tamron lenses over Nikon. I have bought two of them because of lower price and never found them as sharp as the Nikon equivalent.

I orginally bought the Tamron 28-300 VC when I got my D700. I really liked the huge range, but was never satisfied with the sharpness at the long end. I also found that under certain lighting conditions I would get a blue or purple fringe around certain edges. For most shots it was fine, but I really like sharp images. I then bought the Nikon version and love it. I find it almost as sharp as my Pro Nikon lenses. While it might have some distortion I don't see that as an issue at all as I use lens profiles in Lirghtroom and it automatically corrects that when I import my pictures.

[Jim Bryant]

Not only are off brands not sharp as the Canon, Nikon or whatever factory lenses, but they are not color balanced for the camera as well.

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

...but they are not color balanced for the camera as well.

Please explain? I know these lenses may not have their color and saturation at par with the high-end ones, but not color balanced with a particular brand/sensor?

Do you think the X-rite colorchecker passport will fix that?

[ravncat]

If you profile the lens and camera for the light with the color checker passport - you'll solve the lens color cast issue..

[nicled]

A 3rd alternative is the Sigma 18-250mm, which i have used as my carry around lens for my Nikon D3100. It is sharp and the colors are great! It has the equivalent of VR of the Nikon. BUT if you can afford it, probably $150-200 more, get the Nikon 18-200 VRII. The only problem with the Sigma is thats its heavy because of the glass used for it. But in time you'll get used by it.